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Fans celebrate arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau with annual wine bath

14 Comments
By Audrey Akcasu

Japan is becoming known worldwide for its natural hot springs and public bath houses. Lately, bathers have more and more soaking options with specialty baths popping up all over. We’ve seen snow-covered baths, tea baths, sake baths and herbal baths.

Every November however, a bathhouse near Tokyo has a unique 10-day wine bath to celebrate the release of France’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine.

The annual vino celebration, known as Beaujolais Nouveau Day, takes place on the third Thursday of November every year, so this year you’ll be able to crack open your own bottle of the 2014 on Nov 20. Although not the top choice of “wine snobs,” since it’s often served chilled and only flash-fermented, Japan absolutely loves Beaujolais Nouveau and consumes a lot of it. In fact, Japan is the second highest importer of the stuff, behind only Germany.

They like it so much they even bathe in it.

The Yunessan spa in Hakone, Kanagawa changes a nearly 13,000-liter bath into their famous wine bath by adding nine liters of Beaujolais Nouveau per day. The selection is from a winery called L’Aboure-Roi. Since there is only one wine bath available, it is mixed gender, so unlike most public baths in Japan bathers are free to wear bathing suits or other modest coverings (I’d avoid wearing white though), so it’s perfect for shy newcomers to public bathing culture.

Customers can feel free to drive and bring the kids, since the alcohol content is so low you’d, sadly, have no chance of even a buzz (but I’d hope you wouldn’t drink the bath water anyway…). The only things you’ll be soaking up are the antioxidants that supposedly lead to beautiful skin. The giant wine bottles stationed around that bath also add some extra vino to the atmosphere.

Sources: Nlab, Beaujolais Nouveau Day

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Japanese bathtub recipes to keep you warm this winter -- Soup not soap: Japanese public bathhouses surviving by converting into retro-chic cafés -- Japanese company unveils “Nyan Nyan Nouveau” red wine for cats

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14 Comments
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Words fail me...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Hooray for marketing!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

This "story" should be scrubbed for having whitewashed the suds out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And that is about the best use for this tasteless plonk.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

I really don't understand all the hype. There are so many popular wines here already.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A wine so fine, it can be used as tubwater.....utter shite.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Life is good.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@sasukene

I couldn't agree more ! If I have to drink Beaujolais, at least it should have had the chance to "ferment"... (I prefer Bordeaux wines anyway).

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I heard that Beaujolais Nouveau is 3x - 4x the price in Japan compared to in its native France. Hmmm wonder why?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The only things you’ll be soaking up are the antioxidants

and kids urination.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Hurray for cheap french wine that can be sold for a price 20 times higher than what really should be valued....

I dislike this beaujolais thing and I dislike more the people who go nut for this fetus-state wine.... People, give them a catchy phrase and a tell them is "in", "nice", "chick", "cool", etc., and they go nuts for it.... human kind is in essence a heard

2 ( +3 / -1 )

If you add one spoon of sewer water to nine liters of Beaujolais Nouveau, all you get is nine liters of sewer water. If you add nine liters of Beaujolais Nouveau to sewer water, all you get is sewer water.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Glorified grape juice. I fail to understand the hype

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If I uncork it and ferment it more I'll be able to use it as a kitchen cleaner!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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